Carol Jean Brooks, 88, of Seaman, dies; community remembers her legacy

Carol Jean Brooks, 88, of Seaman, Ohio passed away Wednesday, February 25, 2026 at the Hospice of Hope Ohio Valley Inpatient Center in Seaman, Meeker Funeral Home posted Feb. 25. She was born April 21, 1937 in Brown County, the daughter of the late Bessie Butts.

Meeker’s obituary notes that Brooks retired from the Locust Ridge Nursing Home where she was a nurse’s aide, a role that tied her to decades of hands-on eldercare in Adams County. She was a member of American Legion Auxiliary Post #633 and bowled at Community Lanes in Georgetown for over 60 years, a local routine that made her a familiar figure in southern Ohio recreation circles. The Meeker page closes with the line, “Bowling Queen signing off!”

Brooks was preceded in death by her mother Bessie Butts, husband Orlin Brooks Sr, daughters Faryl Mingua and Carol Tincher, and four siblings. Survivors listed by Meeker include sons Freddie Brooks of Seaman and Anthony Brooks of Sardinia; daughters Bobbie Brooks of Seaman and Patty Jones of Winchester; nine grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren; four great-great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Meeker Funeral Home has scheduled visitation for Saturday, February 28, 2026 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at 308 N. Columbus St, Russellville, OH 45168, with funeral service Sunday, March 1, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. Burial will follow in Ash Ridge Cemetery. The obituary text includes the instruction, “In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the donor’s choice,” and notes an online option: “To plant a beautiful memorial tree in memory of Carol J. (Butts) Brooks, please visit our Tree Store.”

The People’s Defender ran an obituary entry on February 27, 2026, reflecting Meeker’s posting. Reporters should note a separate profile on Villages-News that contains conflicting personal-history details; that profile includes lines such as, “She will be lovingly remembered as dressed to party in a fabulous zebra print while lighting up the room with her mischievous smile, a perfectly timed irreverent joke, and her sunny personality,” and a biographical block beginning, “Carol Jean Brooks was born in Monterey, California to Florence and Shedo ‘Buck’ Russo,” which contradicts Meeker’s account and appears to refer to a different individual.

Meeker Funeral Home also offers complimentary daily grief messages for up to one year for those who wish support following the service. Brooks’ combination of long service as a nurse’s aide at Locust Ridge, membership in American Legion Auxiliary Post #633, and more than six decades at Community Lanes leaves a concrete legacy in Adams County care networks and neighborhood institutions.